Malini lives with her parents and young sister, Banni, in northern Sri
Lanka. As the civil war heads towards its catastrophic end, Malini and
her family are herded by Tamil Tiger troops towards the coast where they
and thousands of other Tamil civilians will act as human shields. When
Malini's father pushes a phone into her hands and tells her to run off
into the forest with Banni, Malini does as she is told. But then the
shelling begins, and Malini has no way of finding her mother and father.
With the role of parent thrust upon her, Malini has no choice but to
travel to her grandfather's village a long way inland. She and Banni
will need to keep off the highways and stay alert for soldiers. But
where will the next meal come from? Who can they trust? Where will they
shelter? And will they ever be reunited with their parents again?